Jim L. Mora Era (2009)
The 2009 offseason began with Jim L. Mora taking over the head coaching job over Holmgren. A big splash was made in the free agency market when the Seahawks managed to land talented wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh from the Cincinnati Bengals and All-Pro running back Edgerrin James from division rival Arizona. In the draft, the Seahawks used their 4th overall pick on linebacker Aaron Curry from Wake Forest University, and sought to bolster their offensive line in the second round with 49th overall pick Max Unger.
Despite an undefeated preseason record and a 28-0 shutout of the Rams in the first week, things quickly began to unravel when Matt Hasselbeck again found himself sidelined after a hit by Patrick Willis in a Week 2 matchup against the 49ers left him with fractured ribs. Backup Seneca Wallace went 0-2 as his replacement, including a heartbreaking 25-19 loss to the Chicago Bears in which kicker Olindo Mare missed two field goal attempts. Though they were on the fringes of the playoff hunt all the way up to Week 13, the team's season ended on four straight losses, three of which were blowouts against the Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, general manager Tim Ruskell resigned late in the season when he could not be guaranteed an extension at the end of the year. Though finishing with a slightly better record than the previous season at 5-11, it was not enough for Mora to save his job, as his controversial calling-out of Mare after the Chicago loss and questioning the toughness of injured first-string center Chris Spencer caused a backlash among fans, and he was fired at the end of the season to make room for new head coach Pete Carroll.
Read more about this topic: History Of The Seattle Seahawks
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